How to make a booking
- Upon your confirmation that you would like to proceed with a booking your Maplanga consultant will send you a booking form to confirm your holiday.
- We will require the full names of the people travelling as the names appear in the passport in order to book flights. You can either send us passport copies or send us the names by email.
- Please note name changes cannot be made after the tickets have been issued.
- Once a booking is made by you and the travel details confirmed to us we will send you an invoice with our full details indicated.
- The advertised package is based on flights with restrictive rules. The airlines require payment for flights within 24 hours of making the booking and we will require a deposit to cover the payment. Once flights are paid they are non-refundable. If you prefer more flexibility a higher class of flight must be used.
- If a deposit is not received within the stipulated period the flights will cancel. We would then have to rebook the flights and this may result in the costed class being no longer available which would affect the cost of the package.
- Final payment is required a month prior to travel or as the terms and conditions of the service provider/s dictate.
- When full payment has been made we will send your e-tickets & travel vouchers to you. If you prefer they can collected from our offices in North Riding Estates.
Health
- Visitors flying directly into Victoria Falls Zimbabwe do not require a Yellow Fever inoculation.
- Victoria Falls, Hwange and the whole of the Zambezi Valley including Mana Pools lie in a malaria area. Please contact your doctor or travel clinic for suitable medication prior to travel.
- We recommend that all travellers take out comprehensive travel and medical insurance. Speak to your Maplanga consultant if you would like further information on the Oojah Travel insurance we offer.
Passports and visas
- You must have a current passport that is valid for 6 months after travel.
- No emergency passports are accepted in Botswana for holiday travel so if you plan to include a visit there please keep this in mind.
- There must be at least two empty pages in your passport
- South African passports require not visas to enter Zimbabwe
- As of June 2015 if a parent/guardian is travelling alone with a minor child/ren (aged 18 years or younger) to/from South Africa then the parent/guardian must be in possession of a certified letter of consent from the non-accompanying parent or guardian.
- South African passports require not visas to enter Zimbabwe.
- Many nationalities including US, British, Australian and Canadian can purchase their visas on arrival or online. Please have cash for this. Passports requiring a pre bought visa include Greece, Colombia, India. A Univisa is available for travellers who wish to include Zambia in their itineraries for more info go to www.evisa.gov.zw.
- Guests needing visas should have the correct amount in cash.
Money, currency and credit cards
- Zimbabwe currently has no currency of its own and have adopted a multi-currency system. All major currencies are accepted for payment but the currency of choice is the USD as all prices are denoted in USD.
- All major credit cards are accepted at the big hotels in Victoria Falls including The Victoria Falls Hotel. But the most popularly accepted cards are Visa and MasterCard.
- Credit card facilities are not available at the Wilderness Zimbabwe camps – payment can be made in cash only.
- We recommend that you take along some small denominations of USD currency to pay for small incidentals, park fees and curio purchases as many of the local vendors do not have credit card facilities.
Weather
The weather in Zimbabwe is generally pleasant throughout the year with some differences occurring between the high and low lying areas of Zimbabwe.
In the winter months (May to mid August) the weather is mild in the day and cool at night but areas like Hwange can be really cold at night. Winter days are generally clear and sunny with minimal chance of rain.
The summer months (November – April) are warm to hot. September and October can be really hot when temperatures rise to the mid - late 30's (Celsius) before the onset of the summer rains which cool things down.
Clothing
On safari in Zimbabwe: casual clothing in neutral colours are best. Light layers which can be removed as the day warms up are useful - even for winter as the days are generally pleasantly warm (mid 20’s Celcius). Winter nights and early mornings can be really cold so please include an anorak, fleece, beanie and scarf in your luggage and include some comfortable walking shoes.
Power
In cities and towns, all electrical appliances run on 220V/240V AC accessible via 14-amp alternating current and outlets are square 3-pin plugs. While some hotels and camps can supply adaptors (3-prong round, 3-prong square, 2-prong round, 2-prong flat) we recommend that you carry your own.
At Little Makalolo Camp solar units charge the batteries located at each tented room, providing good 12V lights all night (if used sensibly). There are only 220V power points in the main camp area. If you have an item that runs on 110V, please bring a converter.
Davison’s Camp is now linked to the national power grid so it is possible to charge batteries in your room. While due to the limited amount of power available, it is possible to use appliances such as hairdryers or electric shavers in your room, this is dependent on the national power grid being on. Should the mains power not be on and generator power is being used in camp, then the use of hairdryers and electric shavers will not be possible.
References
If you would like an impartial reference on Maplanga Africa please step by the South African consumer website Hello Peter - www.hellopeter.com
Hwange National Park
